Ratchet wrench



July 28, 1953 s, YA VNER 2,646,711

RATCHET WRENCH Filed July 31, 1952 Fig 5 I4 Sylvan Yavner INVENTOR.

Attornqs Patented July 28, 1953 UNITED STAT ES PATENT' OFFl-CE RATCHET WRENCH: Sylvan Yavner, orfolk, Va. Application July 31, 1952, Serial No. 301,898

3 Claims. (01. 81-179) fied form of construction of the subject matter disclosed in my previous Patent No. 2,592,781,

wherein I employed a similar ratchet mechanism but in conjunction with a stationary primary jaw. By employing a movable primary jaw in the instant invention, my wrench is now able to accommodate work of difierent sizes.

Some of the advantages of the instant invention reside in its simplicity of construction and in its adaptability to economical manufacture.

With the above more important objects and features in view and such other objects and features as may become apparent as this specification proceeds, the invention consists essentially of the arrangement and construction of parts as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of the invention.

Figure 2 is an edge view thereof.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary sectional view of the head portion of the invention, the same being shown in its gripping or operative position.

Figure 4 is a sectional view, similar to that shown in Figure 3, but illustrating the wrench in its ratchetin position, and

Figure 5 is a fragmentary sectional detail, taken substantially in the plane of the line 5--5 in Figure 3.

Like characters of reference are employed to designate like parts in the specification and throughout the several views.

Referring now to the accompanying drawings in detail, the ratchet wrench is designated generally by the reference character [0 and embodies in its construction an elongated handle l2 provided at one end thereof with enlarged head 14 the latter including a projecting bill I6.

The head 14 is formed with a transverse slot or recess l8,"and a primary jaw is slidable in this recess or slot, this being effected by providing the jaw 20 with a toothed portion 22 engagin an actuating worm 24 rotatably mounted in the head. The slot or recess 3 is disposed adjacent the bill I6 and extends away therefrom so that by actuation of the worm 24 the primary jaw 20 may be moved toward or away from the bill. I6. The jaw 20 is 2 provided with a fiat work engaging surface 26.

As is best shown in Figure 5, portions of the head M at the opposite sides of theslot [8 are provided with opposing grooves which define an elongated passage 28. This passage intersects the slot l8 and it is inclined toward the work engaging surface 26 of the primary jaw 20. A relatively small secondary jaw. 30, having a cam- .surfaced work engaging portion 32, is projectably and retractably slidable in the passage 28 and is urged to its projected position by a compression spring 34 which is also positioned in the passage. A stop pin 36 is provided on the jaw 36, this pin being disposed in the slot l8 and being engageable with the bill l6 so as to limit the extent of projection of the jaw 30. (See Figure 3.)

When the invention is placed in use, the wrench may be applied to the work 38 as shown in Figure 3, in which position the spring 28 will urge the jaw 30 in engagement with the work, while the latter is also engaged by the primary jaw 20. When the Wrench is oscillated in the direction of the arrow 40, the frictiona1 gripping engagement of the jaws 20, 30 will rotate the work accordingly, but when the wrench is oscillated in the direction of the arrow 42 in Figure 4, the jaw 30 will be slid inwardly in the passage 28 so that a ratcheting action will result and the work 38 will remain stationary.

Needless to say, by simply actuating the worm 22 to slide the jaw 20 toward or away from the jaw 30, the wrench will accommodate work of different sizes.

It is believed that the advantages and use of the invention will be readily understood from the foregoing disclosure and accordingly, further description thereof at this point is deemed unnecessary.

While in the foregoing there has been shown and described the preferred embodiment of this invention it is to be understood that minor changes in the details of construction, combination and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new 1s:

1. A ratchet wrench including a handle, a head at one end of said handle, and a fixed jaw and a slidable jaw on said head, coacting jaw faces on said jaws, said fixed jaw face being upwardly inclined from its rearward to its forward edge with respect to said slidable jaw face, said head having an elongated passage therein opening into the rear of said fixed jaw face, a bar slidably disposed in said passage and resilient means urging said bar outwardly of said passage, said bar having an arcuate forward end smoothly joining said fixed jaw face and serving as a cam surface when a work piece is clamped between the jaws to maintain the bar against movement upon movement of the wrench in one direction and to cause retraction of the bar into the passage upon reverse movement of the wrench.

2. A ratchet wrench including a handle, a head at one end of said handle, and a fixed jaw and a slidable jaw on said head, coacting jaw faces on said jaws, said fixed jaw face being upwardly inclined from its rearward to its forward edge with respect to said slidable jaw face, said head having an elongated passage therein opening into the rear of said fixed jaw face, a bar slidably disposed in said passage and resilient means urging 4 3. In a wrench including a handle and a head having a fixed and a slidable jaw thereon, coacting jaw faces on said jaws, said fixed jaw face being upwardly inclined from its rear to its forward edge with respect to said slidable jaw face, the rear edge of said fixed jaw face terminating in spaced relation to the portion of the head joining said jaws, said head having a, passage therein opening adjacent the rear edge of said fixed jaw face, a bar slidably disposed in said passage and having an arcuate face mating with the rear edge e, of said fixed jaw face, resilient means in said passage urging said bar outwardly from said passage and stop means on said bar engaging said head to prevent complete withdrawal of the bar therefrom; said curved face on said bar constituting a cam surface for said fixed jaw face and maintaining the bar in one position upon rotation ofthe wrench in one direction and causing withdrawal of the bar into the passage upon rotation of the. wrenchin the other direction when awork piece is held between 'the jaws. .v

I SYLVAN YAVNER.-

,References*Cited in'the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,512,180 .Kisner Oct. 21;, 1924 2,565,154 Wedvik Aug. 21, 1951 2,574,834 Leonard NOV. 13, 1951 2,600,693 J Rutherford June 1'7, 1952 

